Get ready to sink your teeth into these tender and juicy St Louis Style Ribs out on your smoker in about two hours.
When you open up the lid of the smoker, get ready for the whiff of rib-laced smoke to blast out into the air for all the neighbors to smell. Your phone will start ringing from the neighbors asking “what are you cooking???”
We will teach you everything you need to know on how to make “pull off the bone” tender ribs that are extremely juicy. You’ll love the smoke ring too!
🍽️ Why This Works
Easy Ingredients | Everything you are going to use are basics from the grocery store. You don’t have to order anything or run to the butcher for special cuts. Decide on Friday night that Saturday you plan to make these bad boys, it’s no problem.
Hands Off | You will love how hands-off this recipe is.
Minimal Prep | In under five minutes, you go from ribs in a sealed package to them being on the smoker and then you walk away for the first hour.
🐷 Ingredients
St Louis Style Ribs | These rectangular pork ribs come from the belly of the pig. The butcher will cut them to give the ribs more meat and leave off a lot of the excess cartilage. They can also be called back ribs, loin ribs or riblets.
Rub for Ribs | We love the Best Rub for Ribs homemade mix, but use whatever one your family loves.
Sauce | You can never go wrong with Sweet Baby Ray’s, but I encourage you to use your favorite sauce or if you are a “let’s experiment” mood, give the Dr Pepper BBQ Sauce a try or Homemade Beer BBQ Sauce. If you plan to make these for tailgating, whip up the in season Pumpkin Bourbon BBQ Sauce.
📝 Ingredient Notes
When picking out the ribs, make sure you get a full rack. In addition to the full rack, we show you how to make the PORTIONS that are also sold, but just know that a lot of those are the end pieces that the butcher has to cut off to make the rectangular shape of the St. Louis ribs.
This leaves you with small pieces that don’t smoke evenly. It can be frustrating if you aren’t expecting that, and you end up wasting food you already paid for. Buy the portions with caution.
⏲️ Equipment and Tools
Smoker | All brands of smokers work for this recipe. Calling all Big Green Egg, Traeger, Char Broil, Camp Chef, Masterbuilt or Weber users.
Wood Chips or Chunks | Use the wood that you like. Reference the Wood Pairing Guide if you need help. We chose mesquite this time as we wanted a hearty smoke flavor for these ribs.
🔥 Instructions
Step One: Remove the ribs from the refrigerator 20-30 minutes before starting to smoke. Rub some yellow mustard over the ribs. This won’t leave a flavor, but it does serve as a binding agent to allow the rub to stick. Sprinkle with the rub of your choice and pat it into the ribs.
Step Two: Heat up the smoker to 250-275 over indirect heat. We love to use our homemade fire starters but use which ones you have. Lay the ribs BONE SIDE DOWN on the grate and smoke for about 90-120 minutes.
Step Three: It is your choice when you take them off. Anything over 165 degrees is safe, but they will become more tender the longer you wait. Use a thermometer or poke them with a fork. Poke early though, as they will go from hard to soft like butter back to hard (overcooked) if you aren’t careful.
Step Four: Brush sauce on the last 10-15 minutes on both sides and allow it to gently cook and caramelize the sugars.
Step Five: The photo above shows us spritzing the ribs. This is optional. Spritz with a little bit of apple juice or apple cider vinegar if you see the exterior is getting dry.
Note: If the ends are getting done a lot earlier, cut them off and remove them from the grill or they risk drying out and the meat may be wasted.
Instructions for Portions
We bought a large package of St. Louis Style Portions from Costco. These are the trimmings from the ribs (and taste just as good!).
Step One: Remove the ribs from the refrigerator 20-30 minutes before starting to smoke. Follow the same steps as above to season.
Step Two: Cook as you would above, but check them much earlier if you have some of those smaller end pieces in your packaging. They are going to smoke much faster and be ready earlier.
❗ Recipe Tips and Tricks
Baby Back vs. St Louis Ribs | These two are NOT the same St Louis style come from the belly of the pig and cut into a uniform rectangular shape and have a little bit more fat which makes them very tender.
Baby Back are taken from the back of the pig along the spine. These tend to be meaty and tender cuts.
Portions | When using PORTIONS vs the entire rack, make sure to pull the thinner, smaller pieces off of the smoker much earlier than the thicker ones.
This seems like common sense, but they are significantly smaller and will be done much earlier. They can be overcooked in no time if you aren’t watching.
Temperature | The temp on the smoker can range from 250-275 degrees and you can find recipes all within that range. As with all smoking, the lower the temp, the slower it is going to cook. We like the lower temp to get a tender smoke with a nice smoke ring.
🧑🍳 Storage and Reheating
Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to three days in a sealed container. But seriously, why on earth will you have leftovers? These will be gobbled up in no time flat!
Freeze in a sealed container that is freezer safe for up to six months. If you plan to freeze for longer than one month, double wrap them (or vacuum seal) to protect from freezer burn.
Meal Prep
If planning to make a homemade rub or sauce, feel free to do that ahead of time. It will save time the day of the smoke.
Additions and Substitutions
Try spritzing the exterior with apple juice or apple cider vinegar (we did in a couple spots) when you see some sections drying out.
Use the dry rub WITHOUT the mustard by sprinkling the dry rub all over the ribs and allow it to penetrate into the meat for about three hours prior to smoking.
Use apple cider vinegar or even water as the binder for the dry rub to be activated. Olive oil can also be used.
Serving Suggestions
Besides a nice beer in a frosted mug, my favorite sides to serve with this are:
I bet you’re getting ready for a nice BBQ and these classic sides will be a huge hit!
❓ Recipe FAQ
There are several ways.
1. If the meat is starting to pull away from the bone but doesn’t completely come apart.
2. Competition smokers use this easy technique: Pick up the rack with grilling tongs and if it bends down into an upside down U, then they are done.
3. Look for an internal temperature of 185-190°.
Yes, it does.
Start by heating up the smoker to 225° and place the ribs on the grate for about 2.5 to 3 hours.
Remove the ribs from the smoker and place the ribs on top of a large sheet of butcher paper.
Add a couple tablespoons of butter and wrap up the ribs with the MEAT side down, away from the fold.
Place back on the smoker for an additional 1.5-2 hours.
Unwrap and add sauce. Place the ribs back on the smoker for an additional 30-60 minutes.
If the smoker gets too hot, you’re likely to end up with drier meat. Anytime the temperature gets to be closer to 300° and higher, the meat has a higher chance of being overcooked and dry.
Keeping the temp lower will help you to keep the most moist meat possible. If you are nervous, stick to a lower temp the first time you try these and shoot for 225°.
Related Recipes
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How to Make St Louis Style Ribs
Equipment
- Smoker
Ingredients
- 1 rack St Louis Style Ribs whole rack
- ½ cup Dry Rub
- 1 cup BBQ Sauce
- Apple Cider Vinegar optional only to spritz if ribs get dry
Instructions
St Louis Style Ribs Whole Rack
- Remove the ribs from the refrigerator 20-30 minutes before starting to smoke. Rub some yellow mustard over the ribs. This won't leave a flavor, but it does serve as a binding agent to allow the rub to stick. Sprinkle with the rub of your choice and pat it into the ribs.
- Heat up the smoker to 250-275° over indirect heat. Lay the ribs BONE SIDE DOWN on the grate and smoke for about 90-120 minutes.
- It is your choice when you take them off. Anything over 165° is safe, but they will become more tender the longer you wait. Use a thermometer or poke them with a fork. Poke early though, as they will go from hard to soft like butter back to hard (overcooked) if you aren't careful.
- Brush sauce on the last 10-15 minutes on both sides and allow to gently cook and caramelize the sugars.
St Louis Style Ribs Portions
- Remove the ribs from the refrigerator 20-30 minutes before starting to smoke. Follow the same steps as above to season.
- Cook as you would above, but check them much earlier if you have some of those smaller end pieces in your packaging. They are going to smoke much faster and be ready earlier.
Notes
2. Competition smokers use this easy technique: Pick up the rack with grilling tongs and if it bends down into an upside down U, then they are done.
3. Look for an internal temperature of 185-190°. Dry Ribs: If the smoker gets too hot, you’re likely to end up with drier meat. Anytime the temperature gets to be closer to 300 and higher, the meat has a higher chance of being overcooked and dry. Keeping the temp lower will help you to keep the most moist meat possible. If you are nervous, stick to a lower temp the first time you try these and shoot for 225. If Ribs Are Drying on Smoker: Try spritzing the exterior with apple juice or apple cider vinegar (we did in a couple spots) when you see some sections drying out. Don’t Like Mustard: Use the dry rub WITHOUT the mustard by sprinkling the dry rub all over the ribs and allow it to penetrate into the meat for about 3 hours prior to smoking. Alternative Binders for Dry Rub: Use apple cider vinegar or even water as the binder for the dry rub to be activated. Olive oil can also be used. Storage: Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to three days in a sealed container. But seriously, why on earth will you have leftovers? These will be gobbled up in no time flat! Freezer Friendly: Freeze in a sealed container that is freezer safe for up to six months. If you plan to freeze for longer than one month, double wrap them (or vacuum seal) to protect from freezer burn.
Nutrition
